I decided to split the Sunday trip out on the lake into two parts since we visited two sets of islands and took heaps of photos at both!
For those of you who don´t know much about Lake Titicaca, it is one of the highest navigable lakes in the entire world at 3,812m above sea level (lakes in the Himalayas are glacial). It is shared by both Peru and Bolivia, with islands on both sides of the imaginary border that runs through the lake.
The first set of islands we went to are called Uros. This is a group of 42 floating islands floating on waters 15 meters deep that are inhabited by poor pre-Incan communities. The islands are made of a cork-like material that is about 2 or 3 feet thick, and then is covered with layers of reeds and houses. We got a demonstration of how the island is made, got to try some of the reeds that they eat daily (up to 15 each!) and visited the inside of their homes. Finally, we were pushed to buy their handmade crafts. Ah, tourism. For a poor bunch they sure were crafty... and a bit chubby too!
No comments:
Post a Comment